Base Instincts: What Makes Killers Kill?

"Base Instincts: What Makes Killers Kill?" by Jonathan H. Pincus, MD, ISBN 0-393-32323-4 pbk, Norton & Co. 2001: a 225 page disquisition plus 13 pages of notes by a NYU Professor of neurology & psychiatry and graduate of Columbina CPS who investigated some 150 murderers over a 25-year period and tenders his unified theory that "killers kill for the same reasons," regardless of their classifications (single, mass, serial, & perhaps genocidal). Pincus observed that killing arises in the milieu and troika of disturbances which generally discloses (1) childhood abuses (sexual, verbal, physical), (2) frontal lobe damage (birth trauma, chromosomal, genic, infectious, toxic as alcohol & drugs), and (3) a medley of mental (neuro-psychiatric) impairments e.g. bipolar depresssion, paranoia, ADHD, CD, ODD, etc. He hypothesizes that single, mass, and serial killings have similarities with the Nazi/Hitler's paranoid anti-Semitism, Gaza Strip atrocities and various terrorist factions of more recent vintage. He opines the only feasible remedy would be prevention of child abuse and cites pilot studies underway, and also specifies factors impeding implementation of other remedies including treatment of convicted murderers. He details his basic neurologic testing format including specific tests directed at eliciting impairment of the frontal lobes, the latter being somnething he states most/many neurological examiners fail to do. Dr. Pincus has worked successfully on a number of defense cases aimed at getting death sentences switched to life without parole. The treatise is not overly technical, the writing style is a bit wordy, and very minor detractions were noted (i.e. XYY in not a chromosomal deficit but a chromosomal excess or defect; Trisomy 21 is no longer referred to as mongolism but Down's syndrome; and this reader is skeptical that someone could & would drink a 12-pack of beer and a pint of whiskey in 45 minutes (one can every 3.75 minutes & not counting the hard liquor). This study is an important contribution to the study of homicide and it provides engaging thought-provoking commentary on what makes murderers murder and also a workable solution to the problem of homocides. This book gives ample graphic grisly details of physical & sexual abuse, sans pictures, which some readers will find disturbing, but so then is murder. This is a must read.

The point of this fairly slim volume is to convince the reader that many (perhaps the vast majority) of our most dangerous criminals have neurologic impairments, and that brain dysfunction, along with child abuse and paranoid thinking, is at the heart of much violent behavior. This is not an entirely new message, but it is one Pincus approaches with a great deal of authority -- he's a professor of Neurology at Georgetown, was formerly at Yale and has studied dozens of death row prisoners along with his colleague Dorothy Ortnow Lewis.Dr. Pincus clearly decided not to risk alienating readers with scientific terminology or complex explanations of brain physiology. The book follows the familiar "casebook" true crime format used by various ex-FBI profilers, coroners, and cops. Most chapters focus on a particular criminal Pincus had dealings with (many of them in his role as an expert witness) and what that criminal's life story shows about the origins of homicidal violence.The coversational writing style (and oddly cheery alliterative chapter titles) stand in contrast to the horrific nature of much of the material. The crime scene details will be familiar to any reasonably hardened reader in the literature. What really stood out for me was the descriptions of childhood abuse endured by many of the perpetrators Pincus has studied. As a former inner-city teacher, I taught kids from pretty screwed up homes, and had some friends from abusive families while growing up. But the stories Pincus recounts (corroborated by siblings and others) remind us that there is almost no downward limit to the depths of human depravity.What's rather odd about all the better works in the study of violence and homicide is the sense that this field is under-funded, under-appreciated and obscure. Pincus and other pioneers in the field have answered some important questions, but their work raises hundreds more. If, say one percent of the money our government has spent trying to prove that marijuana is dangerous were instead spent on studying the roots of violence, perhaps we'd have more answers.

For those of us, like me, who don't have a background in neurology or criminology, this is excellent. He also nicely addresses the "Free Will" question well, which is of course, the crux of the question in how to evaluate/ judge the criminally 'insane'.It also makes a great case for how much work we need to do as a society to protect our children; it's truly appalling how much abuse is out there. Only the most notorious cases make the news, but we have all kinds of warped people raising children, unfortunately.I also liked how he addressed the fact that many killers either don't remember or won't divulge their abusive histories. I've not only read this elsewhere, but seen interviews with both Bundy and Dahmer claiming they had perfectly normal upbringings and that they had no idea where their pathology came from. Well, Bundy's stepfather abused animals, was supposedly a real tyrant (the normally loquacious Bundy wouldn't even discuss his mother--- very telling, IMHO) and Dahmer's mother, if I recall correctly, was mentally ill. So clearly they compartmentalize their pathologies very well and don't even understand themselves. It also makes it fairly clear that they probably have no idea what normalcy actually is.Books like this need to be required reading, especially given the prevalence of violence in our country.

I am someone who is on the fence about the death penalty. This book does make you think hard about whether we should abolish it, without the author ever making a case for it or not. The stories of the child abuse were horrifying and not for the faint of heart, but he did make several points about what to look for in children who may be abused, so they can possibly be helped. I learned a lot from reading this book.

First up: Dahmer is on the cover but doesn’t feature in the book.However, this book should please any true crime fan. There are plenty of grisly details and anecdotes (from horrific crimes you’ve probably never heard of), but the stories have been carefully selected to illustrate the author’s points.The late Dr Pincer was definitely ‘The Real Deal’ when it came to violent criminals. He spent time with all the big-name serial killers, and his CV read:- Chief of the Neurology Service at the DC VA Medical Centre- Professor of Neurology at Georgetown University- Clinical Professor of Neurology at George Washington University School of Medicine.- Professor of Neurology at Yale University.- Chairman Emeritus of Neurology at Georgetown University.- Vice-President of the American Academy of Neurology.You’ll find no sensationalist “string ‘em up” language or talk of “evil” here. The case studies are shocking but Pincer was a scientist first - he studied these individuals (without any judgement) in a genuine attempt to raise awareness about how we might prevent similar atrocities in future. The book even details his methodology in the appendices.Despite his scientific objectivity though, Dr Pincer was obviously passionate about the causes and effects of cruelty, trauma, and violence. The book veers into almost philosophical territory at certain points.It’s entertaining and thought-provoking.

This is a really interesting book. Very pleased. It examines how the brain affects criminal behaviour. I would recommend this book.

Really interesting read that was recommended by my lecturer

really interesting